Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's address at inauguration & foundation stone laying ceremony of multiple projects in Haldwani
Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Governor of Uttarakhand Gurmit Singh ji, young, energetic and popular Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami ji, State President of Bharatiya Janata Party Shri Madan Kaushik ji, Union Minister Shri Ajay Bhatt ji, my friends Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank ji, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat ji, Tirath Singh Rawat ji and Shri Vijay Bahuguna ji, Ministers in Uttarakhand Government Shri Satpal Maharaj ji, Shri Harak Singh Rawat ji, Shri Subodh Uniyal ji and Shri Banshidhar Bhagat ji, my colleagues in Parliament Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi ji and Shri Ajay Tamta ji, other MPs and MLAs, and my dear brothers and sisters of Kumaon!
Hope everybody up there is safe. Hope you are able to listen to me. Such a large number of people everywhere on the buildings! Please don’t move forward. I get scared. I am very grateful to you for your love and blessings. Greetings to all the brothers and sisters from this holy land of Kumaon and love and blessings to grandchildren! I greet this land of Shiva dotted with shrines of Jageshwar, Bageshwar, Someshwar and Rameshwar. Kumaon has also made a huge contribution to the independence of the country. Under the leadership of Pandit Badri Datt Pandey, the practice of ‘Coolie-Begar’ ended during the Uttarayani fair.
Friends,
Today I got the opportunity to visit Kumaon. So, it is only natural to refresh old memories of my deep relationship with you. And what could be a greater pride for me than this that you have honored me with a cap of Uttarakhand. It’s not a small honor for me. I get attached to the pride of Uttarakhand. Today, development works worth over Rs. 17,000 crore have been either inaugurated or their foundation stone laid here. These projects will provide better connectivity and better health facilities to all the colleagues of Kumaon. I want to share one more good news with you. I have brought one more New Year gift for the people of Haldwani. We are coming up with a 2,000 crore rupee plan for the development of the overall infrastructure of Haldwani city. Haldwani will soon see unprecedented improvement in water, sewerage, road, parking, street lights, etc.
Friends,
We have emphasized the need to carry out development works at a fast pace to make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. When I say that this is the decade of Uttarakhand, it is not without reason. There are many reasons. This is my firm belief that the potential of the people of Uttarakhand will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. I know the potential of this soil, friends. The growing modern infrastructure, the Char Dham mega project and new railway routes will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. New hydro projects and the growing industrial potential will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. The development of the tourism sector and the growing attraction for yoga all over the world is about to bring everybody to Uttarakhand. Growing facilities for tourists like Home Stays will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. This decade will belong to Uttarakhand in the agriculture sector also with an increase in natural farming and herbal products. The decade of Uttarakhand will be glorious. Today's projects are connected with all these sectors. I congratulate the people of Uttarakhand very much from this land of Haldwani today.
Friends,
We all know the might of the Himalayas and the number of rivers that flow from Uttarakhand. Ever since independence, the people here have seen two streams. One stream which wants to keep the mountains deprived of development. And there is another stream which wants to work round the clock for the development of the mountains. The people of the first stream always want you to be deprived of development. They avoided the hard work needed to bring roads, electricity and water to the mountains. So many generations of hundreds of villages left our beloved Uttarakhand and settled somewhere in the absence of good roads and facilities. Today I am satisfied that the people of Uttarakhand and the country have come to know the truth of these people. Today, our government is engaged in taking the country to new heights at a fast pace with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Today the foundation stone of the Satellite Center of AIIMS Rishikesh in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College in Pithoragarh has been laid. These two hospitals will be of great help to the people of the Kumaon and Terai regions. Work is in full swing to start Almora Medical College soon. We are constantly trying to overcome the huge challenges of connectivity in Uttarakhand. Projects worth around 9,000 crore rupees that have been announced today are related to road construction only. Construction of a 1200-km rural road has also started under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Apart from these roads, 151 bridges will also be constructed.
Brothers and sisters,
Manas Khand, which is the gateway to Mansarovar, was deprived of roads by those who believed in depriving you of comforts. We not only worked on the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh All Weather Road, but also built the road up to Lipulekh and it is being expanded further. Now when the people have come to know the truth of these people, they have opened a new shop which is to spread rumors. Manufacture the rumor, spread it and keep shouting day and night about it. I am told that these anti-Uttarakhand people are spreading confusion regarding the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line here.
Friends,
The final location survey of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line is a strong basis of this project. It is being undertaken so that work on this rail line can start quickly. I have come here to assure you. Rishikesh- Karnaprayag rail route is under construction and very soon Tanakpur-Bageshwar route will also be constructed. My brothers and sisters of Uttarakhand, these are not just stones of foundation, these are not mere stones; these are the monuments of resolutions which the double engine government will realize.
Friends,
Uttarakhand has completed two decades of its formation. In these years, you have also seen those running the governments saying – ‘you loot Uttarakhand, but save my government’. These people plundered Uttarakhand with both hands. Those who love Uttarakhand cannot even imagine this. He who loves Kumaon does not leave Kumaon. This is Devbhoomi. Serving the people here, serving Uttarakhand is like serving gods and goddesses. And this is the spirit with which our government is working. I myself am committed in this regard. The inconvenience and deprivation is now being turned into convenience and harmony. They deprived you of basic facilities, whereas we are working day and night to provide 100 percent basic facilities to every class, every region.
Brothers and sisters,
If there is anyone who has suffered the most from the politics of deprivation, it is our mothers, sisters and our daughters. Mothers and sisters suffered the most due to smoke in the kitchen. Sisters and daughters suffered the most in the absence of toilets. Mothers suffered the most due to water dripping from the raw roof. It is the heart of mothers which get hurt the most when children fall sick and there is no money for treatment, no facilities. Our mothers and sisters had to endure a lot of hardships and time for water. We have tried to eradicate these problems of mother power in the last seven years. Tap water to every household under the Jal Jeevan Mission is one such endeavor. Under this mission, more than five crore families of the country have been given piped water in the last two years. The life of the sisters of 13 districts will be facilitated with the laying of the foundation stone of more than 70 projects. The areas around Haldwani and Jagjitpur will also get enough drinking water.
Friends,
When we visit a historical site, we are told that this place was built so many years ago, it is so old. But for decades, the situation of the country has been such that when it comes to big projects, what is said here is that this project has been stuck for so many years. This has been a permanent trademark of those who have been in government before. This is the history of the Lakhwar project whose work has started in Uttarakhand today. You think over, my friends and those who are sitting here have been hearing about this project for more than four decades. By now, you would have forgotten what the issue was. This project was first conceived in 1976. It will be almost 50 years now. Today, 46 years later, our government has laid the foundation stone for it. I would like to ask the brothers and sisters of Uttarakhand whether it is a sin or not that the project which was conceived in 1974 is being implemented after 46 years. Is it a sin or not? Should those committing such a sin to be punished or not? Has this delay hurt you or not? Has Uttarakhand suffered or not? Did two generations suffer or not? Will you forget those who commit such sins, or will you fall for their big promises? No country can imagine such a project hanging around in files for nearly five decades. Only promises were made in every election! Brothers and sisters, take a look at my seven-year record. My time is being spent searching and fixing such old stuff. Now that I'm doing the work properly, you should fix those people. Had the people who were in the government earlier any concern about you, would this project be held back for four decades? If they loved you, would this be the plight of this project? The truth is that those who were in the previous governments never cared about the potential of Uttarakhand. As a result, neither did we get enough electricity, nor did the farmers' fields get irrigated, and most of the rural population of the country had to live without pure piped water.
Friends,
For the past seven years, India has been protecting its environment and making the best use of its natural potential. The projects that have been launched today will not only strengthen the identity of Uttarakhand as a power surplus state but will also provide adequate irrigation facilities to the farmers. This electricity will be available to our industries, schools and colleges, hospitals and to every family.
Friends,
The health of Ganga-Yamuna in Uttarakhand affects the health and prosperity of the people here as well as the huge population of the country. Therefore, we are engaged in a mission from Gangotri to Gangasagar. With the construction of toilets, improved sewerage system and modern facilities for water treatment, the number of dirty drains falling into Ganga ji is decreasing rapidly. Even today, sewer line and sewer treatment plants have been inaugurated and the foundation stone laid at Udham Singh Nagar, Ramnagar and Nainital under the Namami Gange scheme. Protection of the beautiful lake of Nainital will now be taken up which no one cared about before.
Friends,
Tourism cannot flourish anywhere unless there is comfort for tourists. Those who ran the governments earlier did not even think in this direction. The new roads that are being built, the roads that are being widened and new rail routes that are being built will also attract new tourists in Uttarakhand. The ropeways in major places of Uttarakhand will also help bring new tourists. The increasing mobile connectivity and new towers which are being installed in some places will also attract tourists. The medical facilities being developed in Uttarakhand will also increase the confidence of the tourists coming here. And who will benefit the most? The maximum benefit will accrue to the youth of Uttarakhand, the youth of our mountains. The people of Uttarakhand are witness to the fact that the number of devotees visiting Kedarnathji increased after new facilities were launched there. All records were broken. Similarly, the country is seeing a rapid increase in the number of devotees following the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. There are holy places here like Jageshwar Dham and Bageshwar in Kumaon. Their development will create new possibilities for development in this region. The Central Government has also installed India's largest optical telescope at Devasthal in Nainital. It has not only provided new facilities to scientists from home and abroad, but created a new identity for this place.
Friends,
The amount of money that the double engine government is spending on development projects is unprecedented. With the construction of new roads, buildings, houses under the PM Awas Yojana and new rail routes, new possibilities emerge for local industries and for our Uttarakhand entrepreneurs. There would be a trader from Uttarakhand supplying cement, a businessman supplying iron and ballast, or an engineer carrying out the work related to their design. These development schemes are creating many employment opportunities here. The double engine government is standing with full strength with the youth of Uttarakhand who want to do business on their own. Under the Mudra Yojana, affordable loans are being provided to the youth without bank guarantees. Young people who are involved in farming are being helped with the Kisan Credit Cards. Brothers and sisters who run small shops are getting help under the SVANidhi Yojana. Our government has opened the doors of banks for the poor and middle-class youth of Uttarakhand. We are working hard to ensure that they are able to fulfill their dreams without any obstacles coming in their way. There are many possibilities for AYUSH and industries related to aromatic products in Uttarakhand. There is a huge market for it in the country and abroad. Aroma Park of Kashipura will strengthen Uttarakhand, will support the farmers and will provide employment to hundreds of youth. Similarly, the plastic industrial park will also create many employment opportunities.
Brothers and sisters,
The governments in Delhi and Dehradun are not after power; but dedicated to service. The brave mothers of Kumaon, who have dedicated their children to national security, cannot forget how the previous governments ignored this area despite it being a frontier state. Every aspect from connectivity to national security was ignored. They only made our army and soldiers wait for years. The wait for One Rank One Pension, the wait for modern weapons, the wait for necessary protective armor like bulletproof jackets and also the wait for a strong reply to terrorists! These people were always at the forefront in insulting the army and our brave soldiers. The brave people of Uttarakhand who gave the Kumaon Regiment to the army can never forget this.
Friends,
Uttarakhand wants to accelerate the pace of rapid development. Your dreams are our resolutions; your will is our motivation, and fulfilling your every need is our responsibility. Your blessings on the double engine government will make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand. Once again, I congratulate all of you and Uttarakhand for the development projects. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart. The year 2022 is just round the corner. I wish the people of Uttarakhand a very Happy New Year and also for the Ghughutiya Tyar festival.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Many thanks.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.